The present invention relates to industrial vehicles such as forklifts having a battery, and more specifically, to a battery location.
Generally, battery-powered forklifts are divided into two types according to the location of the battery. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, in one type of forklift 60, which is mainly used in Japan, part of a battery 61 is located above the rear wheels 62. Parts of the steering mechanism (not shown) are located below the battery 61. A battery hood 63, which opens and closes, is located over the battery 61. A seat 64 is provided above the battery hood 63.
As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, in a second type of forklift 60, which is mainly used in Europe, a battery 61 is located between the front wheels 65 and rear wheels 62. The lower part of the battery 61 extends to the vicinity of a vehicle frame 66. Accordingly, the size of the battery 61 of the European-type forklift 60 can be larger than that of the Japanese-type forklift 60. Further, the center of gravity of the European-type forklift 60 is lower, and the European-type forklift 60 is thus more stable than the Japanese-type forklift 60.
Compared to engine-powered forklifts, the battery-powered forklifts have less space in the driver's compartment, especially at the feet of the driver, because the battery 61 occupies a large space. Further, the battery 61, which is a rectangular parallelepiped, has substantially the same width as that of the vehicle body 66. The upper surface of the battery 61 reaches the vicinity of the seat 64. The battery hood 63 has a shape substantially corresponding to the shape of the battery 61. Therefore, compared to the engine-powered forklift, the driver has trouble getting in and out of the driver's compartment 67 due to the corner of the battery hood 63.
In the Japanese-type forklift 60, the driver's room is increased by positioning part of the battery 61 above the rear wheels 62. However, since the center of gravity of the Japanese-type forklift 60 is higher than that of the European-type forklift 60, the stability of the Japanese-type is lower.
On the other hand, the battery 61 of the European-type forklift 60 is located more forward than that of the Japanese-type forklift 60. Therefore, the driver's foot room in the European-type is smaller than that of the Japanese-type, and a step 68 is relatively small. When loading and unloading a truck using the forklift 60, the driver must frequently get in and out of the forklift 60. The narrow compartment 67 and the small step 68 inconvenience the driver, and work efficiency is lowered.